Parallel processing is an efficient form of information processing of concurrent events in a computing process. Parallel processing demands concurrent execution of many programs in a computer, in contrast to sequential processing. That is, in general all or a plurality of the stations work simultaneously and independently on the same or common elements of a problem.
Parallel processing involves multiple processors. The execution path of a microprocessor within a parallel system is highly pipelined.
In a parallel processor where many threads of execution can run simultaneously, there is a need for debugging software running on selected threads. Debugging may be used to determine a cause (or causes) of errors in the processing threads, and to correct the errors.
Debug methods implement breakpoints in software by a combination of inserting traps and single stepping. When the target program contains multiple threads of execution, a debug method that is not carefully implemented may miss breakpoints and be less than helpful to the developer.